If you are like me, and your camera comes with you nearly everywhere, and isn’t always in a soft cushy case, doing what you can to protect it is important. Though today’s DSLRs tend to be relatively rugged when it comes to build quality, with magnesium or aluminum alloy bodies coated with rubber, especially from the pro-sumer level up, The LCDs are the largest chink in the armor. LCDs are notoriously prone to scratches and dings, but can be protected very simply and inexpensively.
There are several options available for LCD protection, some cumbersome, some ridiculous and one that is ideal. Read about it after the jump…
Enter The InvisibleShield
I want to preface this post by saying I’m not being paid, endorsed, bribed or anything like that for this post, I really just love this product that much!
Notice anything about the LCD on the 30D in the image above? (other than the fingerprints of course 
) Unless you know what you are looking for, probably not, but the LCD on Chris’s 30D is protected by an InvisibleShield. These things are basically magical pieces of plastic that you affix to your screen and you’re protected. The image below was taken so you can actually see the thing. As you can see, there’s a bit of a texture to it, though its invisible when looking at the screen.
How the hell can a little piece of plastic protect my LCD?
I asked the same thing when Chris turned me onto these things a few months back, but now I swear by them. Here’s what they say on their website:
The invisibleSHIELD is the premier name in handheld device protection. Made from a urethane film originally used to protect the leading edges of military helicopter blades, the invisibleSHIELD is clear, durable, and virtually scratch-proof. The invisibleSHIELD is precision cut to fit your Canon EOS 30D, giving it perfectly contoured protection that other screen protectors can’t match.
The protection provided by the invisibleSHIELD is unique, not only in the way it keeps your device from getting unsightly scratches, but also how it doesn’t add any bulk or obscure the sleek aesthetic design of your Canon EOS 30D.
Wait… what?!? Helicopter blades? Ya, apparently this material was developed for the military to be placed on top of metal helicopter blades to protect them… I think that means it’s good enough for my LCD… But seriously, I’ve seen these things in action, they are nearly impossible to damage, you can pull them off, re-apply, stretch, crumple, whatever and they go back to their original shape. Pretty amazing. At this point, if I buy a portable electronic device of any kind, I also order a shield for it. I use them for not only my camera, but also my MacBook, my cell phone, my PSP and my iPod. What actually inspired me to write this post was an incident with my phone this week. Somehow, my phone and my keys got in a fight in my pocket, and my phone lost, or so I thought.
Please forgive the rushed nature of these shots, but what this is illustrating is the deep gouge one of my keys put in the shield, and what the LCD on my Treo looked like after peeling back the shield. It was immaculate. Amazing.
Here’s a demo video put together by the manufacturer.
…and a link to their video page.
Why is this the best protection?
There are several types of LCD protection out there from those bulky snap on protectors included with Nikons and available to purchase for other DSLRs, to even bulkier camera armor. Personally, I like to keep the bulk low when shooting, and an LCD protector hanging from my camera by a string is only going to get in the way and hinder me from shooting. Also, if every time i want to review a shot I have to move an LCD cover it starts to get annoying real quick. Basically, the shields offer a layer of protection without hindering or affecting your shoot in any way whatsoever.
Where can I get mine?
I generally order mine directly from Zagg, the manufacturer but I realized today that in some cases, the prices on Amazon are a bit better. Click here to search Amazon for an InvisibleShield
What do you use to protect your LCD?
I think that’s gonna do it for this one, but I’m interested to hear any experiences you guys have had with these things and any other LCD protectors you might use so leave your experiences in the comments.
The rear LCD cover is a very inexpensive user-serviceable part that is readily available from Canon. Last I checked, it was around $6.
Hmmm. Not exactly sure what you are referring to… Could you send a link with more information? I’m guessing you are referring to the actual plastice piece over the LCD?
I have been shooting digital since they came out and still protect all my LCD’s the same way. I buy a roll of 2″ Scotch clear shipping tape, spread it across my screen slowly, pushing out the tiny air bubbles and then take a cheap exacto-knife (for around .99) and trim the excess off around the LCD. It has saved my screen dozens of times over the years but works great and wipes clean with a damp cloth. Expense = about $2.50 or $3.00 altogether.
I use a Nikon, plastic clip on covers are great!
Recently purchased a Nikon D40X. Thanks for the advice. Heading out to Amazon immediately to order a plastic clip-on. BTW, how advisable is the use of the shipping tape as recommended by David G.?
Congrats on the purchase Wesley. As for the shipping tape… I could definitely see it working for minor bumps, but the quality and durability of packing tape is definitely not up to the standard of the InvisibleShields.
I’ll bring back up the example of my phone LCD (pictures above). The gouge from the keys was significant and nasty. Against packing tape, the LCD would definitely have been damaged. Another drawback of the packing tape, it uses adhesive, which would be unsightly and annoying to clean if you wanted to replace the tape if it was damaged.
So for a quick, cheap fix tape might work, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya. Its worth 12 bucks to me just for the peace of mind
When i had my first PDA (Palm m100) I bought a pack of screen protectors (well just the cheapest i could find on ebay). I’ve been using those on every screen since then.
I (luckily) didn’t test it but i think tape (or my cheap protectors) would not stop the “key test” seen in the video. Anybody bold enough to test it?
I’ve put the InvisibleShield on my iPod and Sekonic light meter (just over the LCD, not the whole unit). It’s pretty amazing stuff. I’ve never taken it off, but supposedly it comes off cleanly if needed. Once it’s down and cured the corners are not going to peel up.
I was just wondering if this invisible shield thing distort images on the lcd by any chance. Because from what i know some other clear protective screen out there will make the pictures on the screen a bit harder to view, like it would have glare, and images is pixelated due to the uneven composition of the plastic etcc…. if you can let me know how crystal clear the thing is and if it got glare on it or not i would greatly appreciate it =)